THE INCONTROVERTIBILITY OF RAINBOWS

In this anonymous author’s novel, a near-future United States is crippled by gerontocracy until the Young People Party comes to power and wreaks a terrible vengeance.

By 2048, medicine has prolonged life extensively, leaving the country oppressed by the demented and decrepit. Dr. Wolfe comes up with a solution: the summary execution of every citizen over 74. The American populace is all for it, and Wolfe personally begins the massacre the day after the election—apparently both Congress and the lame-duck period are unnecessary details. He’s driven by a palpable disgust for the elderly, “troubled by the egotism, the cowardice, the lack of gaiety, the drought of careless laughs and their overall attitude, splintered with unfulfilled dreams.” This is no cautionary tale about hatred and revenge, however; in just a few years, the country has “the highest ratings on every quality of life measure….Our population is the youngest and healthiest on the planet. The economy is self-sustaining….Crime, addiction and suicide are at the lowest levels seen in any country at any time.” And all it took was the murder of a quarter of the population. This dystopia is made even more unpalatable by its overwrought prose, which, beginning with its tongue-tripping and irrelevant title, uses multiple modifiers: “Dr. Wolfe used to naturally sprinkle those vital pearls of caring wisdom that hold patients above the muddy line of killer diseases.” The narrative is also rife with contradiction and truly bizarre metaphors; Wolfe’s girlfriend, Blue, attracts men “the way insulated wires attract mice.”

Would be better delivered as manifesto, rather than from the mouths of unconvincing characters.